Syria

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US Considers Increasing Ground Troops in Iraq, Syria

Possibility marks big shift in Obama's plan for the Middle East

(Newser) - Concerned about the lack of progress against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, President Obama is considering moving troops to the front lines in both countries, the Washington Post reports. A number of options sent to Obama in a memo last week would have a small number of Special...

ISIS Adds Grim Twist to Destruction of Ruins

Captives were tied to columns in Palmyra

(Newser) - ISIS has killed three captives in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra by tying them to Roman-era columns at the site, then blowing the structures up with explosives, activists say. The killings took place on Monday at the Palmyra archaeological site, located a few miles away from the city, according...

Syria's Assad Makes Surprise Trip Abroad

Moscow trip is his first time out of country since war began

(Newser) - President Bashar al-Assad has traveled to Moscow to meet his strongest ally, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in his first known trip abroad since the war broke out in Syria in 2011, Syrian and Russian media report. A statement posted on the Syrian presidency's official Facebook page says Assad met...

Migrants' New Peril: Winter Is Coming

Border closings in Balkans will only make the situation worse

(Newser) - Governments across the Balkans are scrambling to locate empty buildings, while aid workers are boosting their stashes of coats, blankets, and tents in anticipation of a backlog of migrants who may soon be facing a treacherous winter as they work their way toward friendly Western European countries, the New York ...

How Did 243 People Vanish Without a Trace Last Year?

It's unclear whether the refugees even made it on board the boat

(Newser) - When a rickety fishing boat smuggling more than 500 passengers across the Mediterranean capsized on Oct. 3, 2015 , the world took notice. More than 350 people, many refugees from Eritrea, drowned, and European leaders promised action, reports the New York Times . But when 243 passengers, again largely refugees from Eritrea,...

Turkey Shoots Down Drone, but Whose Is It?

Russia denies ownership of drone, which Turkey says ignored warnings

(Newser) - Turkish jets shot down an unidentified drone that flew into Turkey's airspace at the border with Syria Friday. The drone was shot down after it ignored three warnings to leave, the Turkish military said, but didn't specify how it had relayed the warnings to the operators of the...

Is Syria a 'Proxy War' Between US, Russia?

It's American missiles versus Russian airstrikes

(Newser) - "We’re not going to make Syria into a proxy war between the United States and Russia," the Washington Post cites President Obama saying earlier this month. He might be the only person left who doesn't think it already is. "With the enhanced insurgent firepower and...

Shells Hit Russian Embassy During Syria 'Thank You' Rally

'Beloved leader' Putin is gaining fans in Iraq, Syria

(Newser) - Insurgents fired two shells at the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital as scores of pro-government supporters gathered outside the compound to thank Moscow for its intervention in Syria. An AP reporter was outside the embassy on Tuesday morning when the first shell slammed into the compound in central Damascus...

Jarring Stat Shows Why US Is Dumping Syrian Training

Major overhaul in $500M strategy in the works

(Newser) - The White House is pulling the plug on a strategy to train Syrian rebels that by all accounts has been an expensive flop. The $500 million Pentagon program that began in December had been designed to put more than 5,000 fighters on the ground this year alone to fight...

Russian Missiles 'Hit the Wrong Country'

Nonsense, Moscow says on Facebook

(Newser) - Russian cruise missiles fired from vessels in the Caspian Sea crashed in Iran instead of hitting their targets in Syria, according to CNN —but if they did, Iran is staying pretty quiet about it. US military monitors determined that at least four of Russia's new "Kaliber" missiles...

Things Getting Tense Between US, Russia in Syrian Airspace

US fighter jets forced to reroute to avoid Russian aircraft

(Newser) - A Russian military aircraft was too close for comfort in the skies above Syria, forcing two US F-16s to move out of the way and scuttling their mission, CNN reports. The Pentagon made the announcement Wednesday but would only say the incident occurred in the past few days. All US...

Russia Is Firing on Syria From Ships Now, Too

Firepower supplements strikes from planes

(Newser) - In a demonstration of its new alliance with Syria, Russia says it launched 26 cruise missiles from warships in the Caspian Sea on Wednesday while also supporting the Syrian army's ground offensive with warplanes, the New York Times reports. According to the BBC , Russia claims those cruise missiles, which...

Kickstarter Will Help You Help Refugees

Crowdfunding site teams up with White House

(Newser) - Kickstarter is crowdfunding for Syria, at the request of the White House, which asked if the crowdfunding website could find ways for the US public to help Syrian refugees, the Guardian reports. The result: this special Kickstarter page launched Tuesday, through which people can donate money that will go to...

Russia Sending 'Volunteers' to Syria

NATO slams Moscow's violation of member's airspace

(Newser) - Russian "volunteers"—like those who helped Moscow seize control of Crimea—could soon be arriving in Syria in numbers large enough to make a big difference to the conflict. Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, chief of the Russian parliament's defense committee, told reporters on Monday that volunteers who had...

Assad: Russia Must Beat 'Terrorists' in Syria

Syrian dictator bashes Western leaders as 'lost'

(Newser) - Syria's President Bashar Assad said Sunday that the air campaign by Russia against "terrorists" in his country must succeed or the whole region will be destroyed, stressing that the fight against terrorism must precede a political process. In the interview with Iran's Khabar TV, Assad also accused...

Russian Strikes, Day 2: Where We're At

Moscow has continued airstrikes for 2nd day

(Newser) - Russia has begun launching airstrikes in Syria for the second straight day despite US concerns, reports the BBC . The Kremlin insisted again Thursday that the strikes are against terrorists, reports Reuters , though the US isn't buying it. American officials say Vladimir Putin is going after rebels trying to overthrow...

McCain Blames Russian Airstrikes on Obama

As do other Republicans

(Newser) - Russia launched airstrikes against Syria Wednesday, and John McCain was quick to blame it on Obama. "It did not have to be this way—but this is the inevitable consequence of hollow words, red lines crossed, tarnished moral influence, leading from behind, and a total lack of American leadership"...

Syria's Top Google Searches Tell Sad Story

The desperation is apparent

(Newser) - The horrors of the Syrian conflict show up in an odd place: Google, where the top searches out of war-torn nation over the past two weeks are heartbreaking, reports Al-Jazeera —and show how desperately people want to flee the country.
  • The two most popular searches: "immigration to Germany"
...

Wasting No Time, Putin Strikes Syria

But no one's sure if he's targeting ISIS

(Newser) - Russian lawmakers gave Vladimir Putin the thumbs-up to conduct airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, and the president didn't waste any time. Giving the US Embassy in Baghdad just an hour's notice, Russian military aircraft started the strikes near the city of Homs in western Syria, a senior US...

Putin Will Hit ISIS With Airstrikes in Syria

Parliament approves Putin's request; Moscow dings US in process

(Newser) - Russian lawmakers voted unanimously Wednesday to let President Vladimir Putin send Russian troops to Syria. The Kremlin sought to play down the decision, saying it will only use its air force there, not ground troops. Putin has to request parliamentary approval for any use of Russian troops abroad, according to...

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